Don’t tell New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard that veteran quarterback Eli Manning and his arm have gone weak because he knows firsthand (no pun intended) that that’s fake news.
Two days after suffering a fractured thumb in the team’s first training camp practice, Shepard met with reporters and explained exactly what happened.
Initially, it was thought that Shepard had hit the ground awkwardly, breaking the tip of his thumb, but as he explained on Saturday, the injury actually occurred because of the velocity of Manning’s throw.
Shepard also downplayed the severity of the injury, revealing that he’s broken his thumb on two other occasions and that it doesn’t even hurt this time around. He also noted that his goal is to have the splint removed in a few weeks so that he can resume practice.
In the mean time, Shepard will remain around the team, participate during practice in whatever way he can with the ultimate goal being a return against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
However, Shepard indicated that there is at least some hope he could see action in one of the late preseason games, although it seems unlikely the Giants would be willing to risk their No. 1 receiver, especially now that veteran Golden Tate is facing a four-game suspension.
